


genug

by tvsn



Category: Mercy Street (TV)
Genre: Deutsch | German, F/M, Fluff, Trolling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 00:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6098307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvsn/pseuds/tvsn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nurse Mary and Doctor Foster flirt in German to the annoyance of their colleagues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	genug

**Author's Note:**

> Based on my weak contributions to a series of brilliant headcannons on tumblr.

„Du siehst heute aber wunderschön aus.“

Mary was tired. Mary was haggard. Mary was questioning why Dr. Foster was addressing her in German. That was, of course, until she turned to meet him and saw Dr. Hale standing several feet away.

Mary was neither in the mood to awaken suppressed memories of her late husband, nor indulge her colleague in his new hobby.

Not today.

It had started a week before when they had been taking inventory in the supply room together. Upon finding that once again their material could not have satisfied the needs of a medicine cabinet in a private home, much less that of a Union hospital, Mary had let out a quiet condemnation of the situation. _Verdammt!_ It hadn’t been the first time she had cursed in Gustav’s native tongue. She had made a habit of it around the other nurses. When they asked her what she meant, rather than confessing her dissatisfaction she explained that she had been counting. Accepting her fib, they no longer questioned her.

She hadn’t been so lucky in the case of Dr. Foster.

He had perked up as if she had told him in plain English that she had located an extra week’s supply of chloroform.

And then he started.

He started greeting her in the language he’d taught himself before studying in Berlin. He started teaching her medical terms with which she was unfamiliar. He started telling her things meant for her alone. Things that excited her, things that embarrassed her, honeyed words fed to hungry ears.

And when he noticed just how much this seemed to annoy the rest of the hospital staff, he didn’t stop.

But Mary wouldn’t have it today. She was sweating through her dress in the summer heat, individual strands of her hair escaping their braids. She didn’t feel _beautiful_. Not today. She wasn’t sure if Foster was mocking her or simply trying to get under Hale’s skin, but she wasn’t having it.

„Herr Doktor! Hör auf damit!“ she scolded, insisting that he stop.

„Herr Doktor? Ach! Wir können uns aber duzen, oder?“ Foster replied playfully. _We needn’t trouble ourselves with formalities._

„Wann du so sagst.“ _If you say so._ Mary sighed. There was no escape. She hoped that Jed would soon grow bored with this game.

„Wie geht es dir?“ _How are you?_ He asked with concern in his voice.

Jed was the only person at the Mansion House Hospital with whom Mary could always speak honestly. He was also the first person who’d asked her that day for anything but a favor.

„Bisschen gestresst, bisschen genervt, wie jedes Mal nach einer Besprechung.“ _A bit stressed, a bit annoyed, as is always the case after holding a meeting._ She answered, relieved to let her guard own, grateful that her admission could be spoken in secret.

Foster gave her a sympathetic smile.

„Wegen Hastings?“ _Because of Hastings?_

„Nein, nicht so ganz.“ _No, not really._

„Was meinst du dann?“ _What is it then?_

„Ich fühle mich wie so oft, als ob ich bringe nichts zu dieser Arbeitsstelle, zu diesem Krankenhaus. Als ob ungeachtet von alle was ich versuche, es ist einfach nicht genug. Es wird nie genug.“ _I often feel as if I have nothing to bring to this position – to this hospital. It is as if nothing is ever enough, that nothing will ever be enough, regardless of what I attempt._

If Mary had been looking for empathy, she was about to be disappointed.

„Kann auch so sein.“ _That could very well be the case._

„Danke.“ _Thanks._

Dr. Hale approached, clearing his through. He had a rare talent for making a grunt sound like a battle cry. It was clear to Mary that Dr. Foster’s scheme had functioned according to plan, as it had a hundred times before and likely would a hundred times again. The little man seemed to be operating under the assumption that they were insulting him to his face.

“Doctor Hale, how may I be of assistance?” Mary asked with a forced smile.

Hale turned to Foster, who seemed keen to ignore his presence completely as he continued to speak to Mary.

„Ich habe es nicht so gemeint. Manchmal verliert man, dass ist einfach so. Aber-“ _I didn’t mean it like that. Sometimes you just can’t win, it just is like that. But-_

“Excuse me, whatever _this_ is about it will have to wait. Dr. Foster, I fear we must to discuss the condition of one of your patients.” A discussion it was not. Hale deliver a speech written by and likely rehearsed with Nurse Hastings whilst Mary tried to calm the situation and Foster did his best to agitate it. He was proud, too proud. But when defending his patients, Mary felt that he had every right to be.

„Was würdest du sagen?“ she asked when Hale had been turned away in defeat but was still within earshot. _What was it you had wanted to tell me?_

Foster smiled. It wasn’t the mischievous grin she awaited, but rather something kind, earnest and honest.

„Wir sind alle einfach glücklich dass du bei uns bist.“ _We are all of us lucky to have you here._

„Wir?“ _We_? Mary questioned.

„Ich insbesonders.“ _Especially me._

Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Dr. Hale had found an audience for his grievances.

„Jed, wir müssen jetzt aufhören.“ _Jed, we really need to stop._ Mary had made the mistake of inviting the game to continue in a rare moment of raw frustration, but it simply was not worth escalating tensions.

„Aber warum? Es macht so viel Spaß, mit dir auf Deutsch zu reden.“ he pouted _. But why? It is so much fun to speak German with you._

„Zu viel Spaß! Ich weiß was du machst. Du redest mit mir nur um Doktor Hale zu belästigen.“ _You have too much fun with it!_ Mary quipped, _Anyway, I know you only do so to aggravate Dr. Hale._

„Ich gebe es halb zu, es ist immer ein Vergnügen, Hale zu reizen.“ he laughed. _You are half right, it is always a pleasure to annoy him._

„Aber?“ _But?_

„Ich würde auch gern mit dir sprechen, wenn es keinen anderen Vorteil gebe. Du bist genug. Nein, du bist mehr als genug, du bist einzigartig, hervorgehend-“ _I_ _would be happy to speak with you, even if I could hope for nothing but the pleasure of your conversation._ _You are enough._ He stopped, as if to rethink his words. _No, you are more than enough, you are one of a kind, extraordinary –_

But _enough_ was all Mary had needed to hear. After an endless morning, it was enough to hear that she was simply appreciated. She told him as much.

„Genug ist alles, was ich brauche.“

„Ich nicht.“ _Not for me._

In the distance Mary heard Hale and Hastings complaining, tactlessly, in English. Foster over heard them as well, he looked over, flashed a smile and gave a half nod and turned back to face the nurse in time for her to reprimanded him.

„Komm! Wir sind gemein!“ _Come on, now we are just being mean!_

„ _Sie_ sind gemein. _Wir_ sind gebildet.“ They _are mean_ , we _are educated_. He insisted.

Mary felt herself smile for the first time that day.

„Eingebildet.“ _Arrogant._ She corrected, a bit of wordplay she hoped he’d pick up on.

„Ein wenig.“ _A bit,_ Jed admitted.

„Komm, jetzt, aufhören.“ She looked over, worried that Hale had been made to feel inadequate, not just by their light – _dare she describe it as flirtation?_ \- but by Nurse Hastings as well. _Come, we should really stop now._

„Du zuerst.“ _You first._

Mary _was_ partially to blame. It felt _so_ natural to speak with the doctor in a language she wondered if she would have otherwise forgotten entirely. It had, in truth, nothing to do with German. Nothing to do with games. Nothing to do with the rest of Mansion House’s staff. It was that _everything_ felt different with Jed. It was that she felt different when she was around him. It was that regardless of what they were doing, what language they were speaking, or if they were even speaking at all, Mary felt dangerously whole.

“Fine.” she consented.

“Fine.” he obliged briefly before pausing, „Ich würde noch etwas sagen.“ _There is something else I wanted to say._

„Was?“ _What?_

„Dass ich dich liebe.“ _That I love you._

Mary covered he face to hide the blush that had spread across it. She didn’t know that Dr. Hale had taken extra offence to the movement, thinking that she was suppressing a laugh at his expense. She didn’t know that Dr. Foster had spent the best half of the night before wondering if, and how, he should tell the woman who had been his salvation how he really felt. That he now nervously awaited her reaction.

Upon hearing those words, there was only one thing of which the nurse was certain, „Ich dich auch.“ _I love you too._

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed and had no trouble reading this! If not, do be so kind as to let me know in the comments. As always, thanks for your time! Küsschen!


End file.
